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Effects of Advertising
Advertising can have adverse effects on the minds of the people who see it. In an advertisement the company is showing only the advantages of its products or services. This entails a certain amount of dissatisfaction and unhappiness in the lives of the viewers, because their self-esteem faces an attack as they are unable to use the product and do not manage to look like the slim model on the advertisement. Children and adolescents especially get deeply affected by the advertisements, and it is important for parents and other adults to take cognizance of such situations. The main objective of advertising is to convince the consumer to behave in a certain manner which is most favorable for the advertiser. It may influence the consumer in different ways, because the advertiser spends an enormous amount of money to sell his product in the most creative and persuasive manner. While a commercial firm will sell his products and services, a politician will sell his ideas to win voters. Through advertising non-profit organizations can raise funds, gain volunteers and the government can spread awareness about environment, discipline, health issues and new laws through advertising campaigns. Each form of advertising can have an effect on the viewers, and that is how the advertiser plans his line of advertising. For children and young people there are particular problems associated with the effects of advertising. They are the one who are often vulnerable to messages which are put forward in the advertisements. They like to measure up to their peer group and feel pressurized by the images that they see on screen. This leads to eating disorders, for example, associated with advertisements featuring idealized thinness. It is extremely important for parents to inculcate a feeling of high self esteem in their children, so that they can see the advertisements as a part of the commercial world. They should be made to understand the techniques used in advertising and taught to judge things themselves. Nobody can get customers only by advertising. Advertisements should basically motivate the customers to buy the products by catching their attention. However, if the product is not liked by the customer, he doesn’t come back for it a second time. This definitely requires a creative marketing approach. It is important for any advertiser to be straightforward, ethical and honest about the product. A popular advertising strategy is to make the consumer insecure and create fear, which can be overcome by purchasing the product. Hence when a textile company advertises the latest fashions and novelties in the market, every teenager wants to try out the new styles and look as good as the perfect individuals who have been wearing the new styles. This hope of reaching perfection is present in every individual and all advertisers aim to have this effect of perfection for all its consumers. It could be toothpaste or a deodorant, and that is how advertising connects the products with the preferred emotions like popularity and happiness. |